1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a buckle assembly for releasably connecting belts, straps or the like on garments, bags, water bottles, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 59-72912 discloses a buckle assembly including a male member which is plunged out from a guide channel in a female member when the male and female members are disengaged from one another. The male member includes a pair of resilient locking legs releasably engageable with locking corners on a triangular retaining projection disposed in the guide channel of the female member to couple the male and female member. To uncouple the male and female members, a resilient flap of an upper wing of the female member is depressed into the guide channel until a presser head on the resilient flap spreads the resilient locking legs apart against the resiliency thereof to disengage the locking legs from the locking corners of the retaining projection. Upon disengagement, the locking legs contract or spring back laterally inwardly by the resiliency thereof, sliding along forwardly converging opposite side walls of the triangular retaining projection with the result that the male member is plunged out from the guide channel of the female member.
The resilient locking legs of the disclosed buckle assembly double in function as a locking means to interlock the male member and the female member and a thrusting means for plunging out the male member from the female member. The locking force of the locking legs increases as the thickness of the locking legs is increased. The thick locking legs are however resistant to bending forces and hence a large effort is necessary when the locking legs are spread to spring out the male member from the female member. Conversely, the thinner the resilient locking legs, the smaller the pressure on the resilient flap which is required to spread apart the locking legs to plunge out the male member. The thin locking members however provide only a limited locking force which is insufficient to keep the interlocking engagement between the locking member and the retaining projection; the thin locking members are likely to be damaged or broken when subjected to severe pulling forces tending to separate the male and female members.